


Be careful what you wish for

by Kelpiejz



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Dalaran Wishing Fountain, Gen, Light Angst, Past Relationship(s), World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:55:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27331543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kelpiejz/pseuds/Kelpiejz
Summary: On a cold night in Dalaran, Jaina Proudmoore makes a wish.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Be careful what you wish for

Jaina stood alone on the streets of Dalaran, watching as her breath turned to fog in the cold air. Everyone else had returned inside for the night to get a good night’s sleep and to escape the unsettling weight that seemed to be on everyone’s shoulders these days. It was hard to rest when the floating city was under the dark shadow of the Citadel that loomed in the distance.

The Citadel…

She exhaled deeply and pulled her cloak tighter around her body, feeling a phantom chill race down her spine. It had only been a day since she had led the first assault on Icecrown Citadel since the incident at the Wrathgate and she could still feel the terror that had gripped her soul from the moment those doors had opened and the Lich King (not Arthas, not her prince, not anymore) had arrived.

Northrend was colder than the winters in Kul Tiras and Lordaeron had ever been, Jaina realized, and the cold wasn’t the same either. The Kul Tiran winters were always full of excitement and festivals, and she had always gone outside with Tandred to play around in the snow until their mother called them back inside. Her memories of the winters of Lordaeron were not quite as happy, but they were good memories nonetheless. Memories of a time before everything fell apart. Before the plague, before the scourge, and before the war.

The cold of Northrend, though, was the cold of the grave.

Icy winds blew through the city and Jaina shuddered. She knew that her king had said that it would all be over in a few days, placing his hopes on a raid of the Citadel. A raid she had been told to attend, but that she wouldn’t be helping with. Perhaps everyone was nervous after what had happened in those frozen halls, when she had barely escaped with her life. No, she would go but would not be allowed into the heart of the Citadel.

She was to stay outside on the airship, the incantation for a mass teleport ready to be uttered in case everything went wrong. She hoped more than anything that it wouldn't come to that.

Throughout her time studying in Dalaran with Antonidas, she had heard rumours of the mystical fountain that could grant the wishes of the coins cast into it. Maybe if she wished for their success, then Arthas, the king sitting upon the Frozen Throne of Northrend, could finally rest.

Jaina felt the weight of the gold coin that rested in her pocket and sighed, beginning her walk over to the Eventide District. She didn’t believe that the Dalaran fountain could actually grant wishes despite what everyone said, but at this point, what did she have to lose?

Many others had tossed in their coins with a murmured wish, though she had never heard of any that had actually come true. Perhaps it was just something for them to hold on to, a symbol of hope, and perhaps that was just what she needed.

She felt slightly guilty as she sighed and looked down at the coin in her hand, already knowing she wouldn't be wishing for the assault's success. Maybe some would call her selfish but after years of doing everything for others, who could blame her for wishing for her own sake?

Jaina held the coin in her fist as she held it close to her heart and whispered the words she had been silently repeating to herself for the past six years, pretending she didn't feel the cold tears that slid down her cheeks.

"Arthas, my love, please come back to me."

As she walked away from the fountain, the coin shone a dull gold.

(After the sounds of the assault on the Frozen Throne of the Citadel fell silent and the brave adventurers returned victoriously, the coin's glow faded as Lady Jaina Proudmoore fell to her knees desperately clutching the silver locket - the only piece of her prince, her love, that was returned to her.)

**Author's Note:**

> A huge thanks to Triskaideka for listening to me ramble on discord about fic ideas and for basically inspiring me to write this in the first place. I'm definitely planning on writing more for this underappreciated ship once quarantine stops stealing away my motivation, so hopefully I can get working on the longfic I have planned.


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